{"id":20378,"date":"2026-02-27T13:16:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T12:16:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?p=20378"},"modified":"2026-02-27T13:16:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T12:16:34","slug":"from-childrens-book-to-adult-icon-nijntjes-new-audience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/20378\/from-childrens-book-to-adult-icon-nijntjes-new-audience\/","title":{"rendered":"From Children&#8217;s Book to Adult Icon: Nijntje&#8217;s New Audience"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In a busy street in the middle of Utrecht stands a colorful statue of a small white rabbit. It wears a hat, supposed to protect it from the light rain. Despite the rather poor weather, a wide variety of people gather around to take photos.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.miffy.com\/about-miffy\">Nijntje<\/a> \u2013 the simply drawn bunny created by Dick Bruna in 1955 \u2013 can be found all around Utrecht. Previously known only as a children&#8217;s book character or through her animated series, she can now be seen almost everywhere. She has her own museum, different statues can be found and a Nijntje streetlight guides passers-by over a busy street. Her merchandise can be bought in every tourist shop, and she even has her own square named after her: the Nijntje pleintje.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20385\" style=\"width: 222px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20385\" class=\"wp-image-20385 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/Nijntje-Museum-2-Unblurred-e1772188026975-212x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Woman taking a photo of a Nijntje statue outside the Nijntje Museum in Utrecht.\" width=\"212\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/Nijntje-Museum-2-Unblurred-e1772188026975-212x300.jpeg 212w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/Nijntje-Museum-2-Unblurred-e1772188026975-723x1024.jpeg 723w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/Nijntje-Museum-2-Unblurred-e1772188026975-768x1088.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/Nijntje-Museum-2-Unblurred-e1772188026975-500x708.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/Nijntje-Museum-2-Unblurred-e1772188026975-800x1133.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/Nijntje-Museum-2-Unblurred-e1772188026975-400x567.jpeg 400w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/Nijntje-Museum-2-Unblurred-e1772188026975.jpeg 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 212px) 100vw, 212px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20385\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A woman takes a photo of a Nijntje statue outside the Nijntje Museum in Utrecht. The statue is one of several Nijntje spots that attract visitors to the city. Photo: Alicia Queck<\/p><\/div>\n<h3 id=\"from-children\u2019s-story-to-adu\">From children\u2019s story to adult icon<\/h3>\n<p>Originally Nijntje was meant to be a bedtime story for Bruna\u2019s daughter. Now, 70 years later, she has become a recognizable cultural symbol for the Netherlands and especially Utrecht, since that\u2019s where Dick Bruna and therefore also Nijntje were born. Over the past years she has become a draw for adult visitors as well. \u201cAll of the adults used to be children,\u201d says Liza Verkroost. She is the store manager of Utrecht\u2019s Tourist Information Center. According to her, the connection to Nijntje could be rooted in nostalgia. \u201cIn adult life, you still feel a connection to it because you\u2019ve been seeing it since you were a child.\u201d In Guus Levering&#8217;s family-run Nijntje store in Utrecht, the majority of customers are adults. \u201cI think 95 percent,\u201d Levering estimates.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"an-international-utrecht\">An international Utrecht<\/h3>\n<p>When asked about the changing role of Nijntje in Utrecht, Verkroost states that \u201cit\u2019s not necessarily Nijntje that changed but Utrecht. We got more known internationally.\u201d According to a statistic from the <a href=\"https:\/\/utrecht-monitor.nl\/economie-inkomen\/economie\/toerisme\">municipality of Utrecht<\/a>, approximately 43 percent of the tourists visiting Utrecht in 2024 came from abroad. By becoming more popular internationally, people start connecting things to Utrecht. Aside from the famous Dom tower, Nijntje is one of those things. So Nijntje herself didn\u2019t change, it\u2019s the audience that has been changing over the last years.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"cute-culture-and-a-new-perspec\">Cute culture and a new perspective<\/h3>\n<p>The first noticeable shift in Nijntjes audience appeared around ten years ago, reportedly originated from Asia. According to Liza Verkroost \u201cDutch people are not used to doing things like that. We have always seen Nijntje as something for children. And then you get another perspective from adult people from Asia that are completely equipped with all kinds of Nijntje things.\u201d Guus Levering also confirms this. Since the opening of his Nijntje themed shop in 2017 he identified two main types of customers: adults buying Nijntje merch for younger family members and adults buying Nijntje merch for themselves, reportedly mostly people from the Asian community.<\/p>\n\n<div id=\"attachment_20387\" style=\"width: 1610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20387\" class=\"wp-image-20387 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-27-at-11.21.24.jpeg\" alt=\"Man reaching for a Nijntje plush toy from a shelf inside a Nijntje store in Utrecht.\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-27-at-11.21.24.jpeg 1600w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-27-at-11.21.24-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-27-at-11.21.24-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-27-at-11.21.24-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-27-at-11.21.24-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-27-at-11.21.24-1080x608.jpeg 1080w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-27-at-11.21.24-500x281.jpeg 500w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-27-at-11.21.24-800x450.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-27-at-11.21.24-1280x720.jpeg 1280w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-27-at-11.21.24-1250x703.jpeg 1250w, https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-27-at-11.21.24-400x225.jpeg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20387\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A customer looks through Nijntje plush toys in a store in Utrecht. According to the owner, most of the people shopping here are adults.<br \/>Photo: Alicia Queck<\/p><\/div>\n<p>According to a study published in the <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/1469540513485274\">Journal of Consumer Culture<\/a> \u201ccute\u201d is not just about something looking nice or childish. Instead, cute aesthetics can trigger emotional reactions like warmth, attachment or even a need to protect something. The concept originally came from Japanese youth culture, especially from young women, before becoming part of mainstream consumer culture. Funny or cute merchandise can therefore become an indicator for an easy-going personality and help young people connect with each other. In that sense, buying Nijntje merchandise may not only be about childhood nostalgia, but also about connecting to a certain lifestyle or feeling.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"more-than-just-nostalgia\">More than just nostalgia<\/h3>\n<p>In the end, Nijntje herself did not suddenly become more modern or more international. Instead, the audience around her changed. Through nostalgia, international visitors and the influence of cute culture, she slowly became relevant to adults as well. Today, Nijntje is not only a bedtime story character, but also a lifestyle symbol for both children and adults.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Once a children\u2019s book character, Nijntje has become a popular symbol for Utrecht. Nostalgia, international visitors and Asian \u201ccute culture\u201d have helped turn the small white bunny into an unexpected adult icon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4167,"featured_media":20386,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[242,538,130,148,537,293],"class_list":["post-20378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-acls","tag-tourism","tag-cute-culture","tag-local","tag-netherlands","tag-nijntje","tag-utrecht","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>From Children&#039;s Book to Adult Icon: Nijntje&#039;s New Audience - International Journalism<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Children&#039;s Book to Adult Icon: Nijntje&#039;s New Audience - International Journalism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Once a children\u2019s book character, Nijntje has become a popular symbol for Utrecht. 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